


heaven sent to fulfill my needs

by magesamell



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, i can't believe i'm anime on main now, sort of post ep 167
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 02:59:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14632677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magesamell/pseuds/magesamell
Summary: Kagome brushes Inuyasha's hair.





	heaven sent to fulfill my needs

“Enough is enough,” announced Kagome, marching brusquely into Kaede’s hut. Inuyasha looked up at her in confusion, but before he could say a word Kagome shifted her backpack from her shoulder and it hit the floor with a resounding _thud_. Immediately she bent double, quickly unzipping the main pocket and digging through its contents.

 

“What—“ Inuyasha said, shaking his head “I thought you went home. Why are you _here_?” He said the last part with more grouse than he felt, eyeing the white cloth that still wrapped up her legs. He wondered if the burns would scar.

 

Kagome drew his attention when she glanced up at him. She looked around conspiratorially for a moment before breaking into a grin. “I know,” she whispered gleefully, as if the others might be hovering just outside Kaede’s door. “I pretended to leave so _everyone else_ would scram and go about their business. I needed to get you alone.”

 

She said the last part innocently enough, but as she ducked her head back down to the bag, Inuyasha gulped.

 

“Super smart, right?” Kagome said, without looking up, and he forced himself to ignore the screaming in his brain long enough to make some sort of affirmative noise.

 

What the fuck — what the _fuck._ Kagome — alone with him — Kagome _wanting_ to be alone with him — Kagome _engineering_ this plan to be alone with him. Fuck. He was straight up panicking now. Fuck!

 

Kagome found what she was looking for. She pulled from her backpack a plain white box that shimmered the same way that a lot of the stuff she brought from the future did. He watched as she removed the plastic shrinkwrap with her nails and then — amusingly, or rather what would be amusing in any other situation that didn’t shoot his nerves to shit — the tag with her teeth. And when she finally opened the box inside he saw three bamboo combs and a large brush.

 

“What are you going to do to me?” He asked, though he already knew.

 

She looked up at him then — her expression exactly the one of a predator who knew she would be eating well tonight.

 

“I — am going to brush your hair.”

 

-o-

 

“No.” Inuyasha straightened his back, folded his hands in his lap.

 

“Yes,” Kagome said. She picked up a comb and inspected it. And then another. Then she looked at him again, her eyes unfocused, as if she were looking _around_ him, and he sighed as he realized she was looking at his _hair_. “I better start with this one first,” Kagome decided, and picked up the comb with the largest teeth.

 

“You’re not _grooming_ me like a dog.”

 

Kagome sighed. “No, I’m brushing your hair so you look like a _person_.”

 

Inuyasha scowled. “So I’m a monster, huh? I’m a savage demon with a dirty mane?”

 

She rolled her eyes. “No, you’re like every other stupid stubborn boy that doesn’t want to look nice. Now are you going to come over here or do I need to pin you down?”

 

“You better not use the beads—“

 

“I’m not going to! Just know — if you’re gonna put up a fight I’m just gonna have to wrestle you to the ground.”

 

They both knew it was extremely unlikely — if not impossible — that she could physically overpower him. But the way she looked at him — not quite smiling, but with open challenge in her eyes — made warmth bloom in his stomach.

 

“Uh,” Inuyasha said. He shook his head “I mean no! You’re not coming at me with _that thing_.” He pointed an accusing claw at her.

 

Kagome followed the direction he was pointing with her gaze. She studied the bamboo comb in her hand for a moment before soundlessly setting it aside. She looked at him then, and there was no challenge in her gaze. He couldn’t quite read what she was feeling, actually —

 

But then Kagome came closer, scooching forward on her knees until she was close enough to take his hands in hers.

 

“Listen,” she said, her thumb curling over the back of his hand. “No one else is _here_.” She glanced meaningfully around the hut. “Kaede won’t be home until sundown. The others probably won’t be back for another day — maybe even a day and a half.”  Kagome looked at him. Smiled. “It’s just us.”

 

His whole body seemed to quake. He forced himself not to show it, not to react, keep control. He wanted —

 

Kagome glanced away, peering up and around his temple. “And I can just tell it’s a mess in there.” She retreated back in front of him. “But when I’m done you’ll feel so much lighter! It’ll be relaxing! Cleansing!”

 

Kagome squeezed his hand, her smile encouraging. Inuyasha glanced down, his gaze flickering over her bandaged calves. Yesterday, Kagome stood in acid for him. And she might have scars there forever. Because of him.

 

Okay.

 

Okay, let’s think about this. Think about letting Kagome brush his hair. Letting her be that close — for — minutes. Several minutes. Maybe an hour. Letting her touch — touch his hair, touch him — for an _hour._

 

He was so fucking screwed. Because she planned this. She planned for them to have this uninterrupted time where they could just sit together, exist together, be _near_ each other. She _wanted_ to be near him, and every time she reminded him of that — intentionally or not — he was helpless to deny her anything.

 

Inuyasha nodded, feeling equal parts miserable and viciously delighted.

 

Kagome grinned. “Let’s get started!”

 

-o-

 

“Ow! _Fuck!_ What the fuck are you doing back there?”

 

Whatever fantasies he had about Kagome sensually running her fingers through his hair or massaging his scalp or petting his ears went rather immediately unrealized. Instead she tugged the wide-tooth comb through his mane as best she could, but it was unendingly snagging and getting stuck. She couldn’t pull for more than a centimeter or so before she could encounter a new tangle. And most of the tangles, she said, were beyond hope. You could only pull them out.

 

And pull she fucking did. Inuyasha clenched his fists against his thighs as she pulled another tangle free.

 

“Shit. Are you trying to scalp me?”

 

Kagome scoffed and reached around him, dangling the hair she had just pulled out in front of his face. “You’re gonna cry over this tiny thing? Huh?” She shook the tangle mockingly. “I’m going easy on you. You’re only getting such a soft treatment because I like you.” And with that she went back to combing.

 

He was incapable of controlling his reaction. He felt his face heat up and he closed his eyes, sighing inwardly. She was going to kill him. She engineered this afternoon specifically to kill him.

 

“Stop sighing,” Kagome ordered. “Drama queen.”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“It means you’re always freaking out over nothing.”

 

He barked a laugh. “Well, that’s rich, that’s fucking hilarious coming from you.”

 

“Yep, I’m a regular comedian,” she said, and he spent one instant wondering at her remarkably sanguine reaction before she pulled and he felt his skin burn.

 

“FUCK!”

 

Kagome giggled.

 

“You’re _sadistic._ ”

 

And she pulled the comb again, through the same place, and it glided smoother. He felt her fingers then, combing themselves through, and again, and he realized she was gathering the excess hair on her hands. She shook it off, leaving it in a disorderly pile beside his hip, and dug in again.

 

“Even that comb is too much, I should have just used my fingers in the first place.”

 

Before he had time to react Kagome was dragging her hands through, repeating, slowly making her way from one side to the other and back again. The tugging was less piercing, now, and he just let himself become acclimated to the persisted tug at his scalp.

 

Inuyasha closed his eyes,

 

And then her hands were on his shoulders, and she laughed in his ear.

 

“What, you’re fine with it now?”

 

“I’ve accepted my fate.” He said balefully.

 

“I’m not gonna _kill_ you. Though dogs were the ones they experimented learned helplessness on.” Her breath changed infinitesimally and he imagined her scrunching her nose in distaste.

 

“Bastards,” Kagome remarked, sliding her fingers from his shoulders to his mane again, and he had truly no idea she what she was talking about, but he recognized her tone — indignant, self-righteous. It was the tone she used when she labeled villains unforgivable right before she shot an arrow between their eyes.

 

After that they were quiet as she worked, quiet for a long, long time, and he felt groggy when she tapped him on the shoulder. He started, and she leaned over his shoulder, her own hair forming a veil between their faces. “I’m gonna switch back to the comb,” Kagome said, and Inuyasha nodded, nose twitching.

 

He physically stopped himself from following her nose first as she retreated back behind him.Kagome this close was beyond pleasant, but the scent from her hair was downright intoxicating.

 

Inuyasha’s gaze slid to the side, and he boggled at the — now quite unnerving large — pile on hair next to them.

 

“That’s all from _me?”_

 

Kagome giggled. “There’s much more coming, believe me. Your hair doesn’t shed, just sticks and tangles.” She hummed contemplatively. “I remember now: Eri said she knew a good shampoo for oily scalps…”

 

Inuyasha grunted. Kagome helping him out was one thing, but hell if he was gonna put that unnatural smelling goo in his hair.

 

“That’s what I thought,” she laughed, and tugged free another tangle. He winced, and glanced over to see a snarlthe size of his thumbnail. Damn. Kagome really might have had the right idea with this if _that_ was sitting round back there. He hadn’t even known.

 

“You know what this reminds me of?” Kagome asked, her voice warm. He made a noncommittal sound, indicating his ignorance. “Yura.”

 

He gasped, offended. “You’re saying my h— _this_ reminds you of that creepy bitch’s hair tentacles?”

 

“Well, a little.”

 

Inuyasha scoffed. She didn’t think his hair was creepy, did she? Creepy demon hair, or whatever.

 

“That was the first time you were nice to me,” Kagome mused, and he tensed, listening carefully. “That the first time we really worked as a team, too. You called me _Ka-Go-Me_!” She teased, poking his side with each syllable. He didn’t realize he was smiling until the last poke provoked a little laugh from him.

 

“I remember,” she started, and then stood abruptly. Inuyasha felt the absence of her warmth keenly. But Kagome merely reach over for the finer comb, and returned to her position behind him.

 

“You remember?” He prompted her when it seemed she wasn’t to pick up where she left off without encouragement.

 

“Nevermind. It’s stupid.”

 

Kagome could say that, but it was always the ‘stupid’ stuff that ended up being a big deal.

 

“No, what was it?” He persisted.

 

“I said nevermind.”

 

Inuyasha pulled away from her for the first time, turning to look at her.

 

Kagome _seemed_ fine. She wasn’t tearful and she wasn’t avoiding his gaze. But she had a faraway look.

 

“Tell me,” Inuyasha said. Kagome bit her lip and stared back at him.

 

“Okay,” she said. “Turn around though.”

 

He complied, and she went in with the comb again. Kagome made a pass or two without saying anything.

 

“Kagome—“

 

“Yes! _Kami!_ I’m getting there.” She erupted in irritation. “It’s just. I don’t know. Back then, you really — you really just didn’t.” Kagome aborted the sentence, huffed, and started over. “I remember feeling so — happy when I stabbed that skull. Like I was good for something. And I was a part of something. And you couldn’t have done it without me. And you knew it to even if you didn’t want to admit it, you relied on me them. I don’t know. It was nice.”

 

The comb tugged sharply then, but Inuyasha couldn’t bring himself to care.

 

“What — why are you bringing that up? What are you talking about?” Inuyasha paused, his thoughts swirling too fast for him to voice them. “Do you not feel that way now?” He accused, starting to feel real irritation. “That doesn’t even make sense, you know. You know how much we need you, and Miroku and Sango would flip their shit if you were gone. They do it anyway whenever you’re in the other world.” Inuyasha flicked imaginary dust off his haori. “Not to mention Shippo. He gets _unbearable_.”

 

“I guess I’m not saying this right.” Kagome sighed, and the resigned note of her voice really disturbed him. Made him feel cold.

 

Her hands stilled. And withdrew. And without touching him at all, she said: “Part of me misses when it was just the two of us. It was exciting — working together, and fighting. But now you have Sango and Miroku, and you don’t need me for that.”

 

Inuyasha still didn’t understand. “I don’t want you to be fighting for your life more than you already do,” he told her.

 

“Yeah, _exactly!"_   Kagome snapped, like it was a bad thing. “You — every time you just jump in and swoop me somewhere safe.” Without warning she ran the comb through harshly, punitively snagging a tangle. “You act like I’m a damsel in distress.”

 

Inuyasha didn’t respond immediately. She _was_ right. When he first met her — he wasn’t too concerned if she got hurt. Not like Inuyasha wanted her to die but — well if Kagome scraped her knee or whatever, that was _her_ problem. And more often than not they found themselves in scrapes he couldn’t quite handle alone, and more than once she risked herself for their cause. But now they had two demons and two trained fighters in their group. Things had changed. A _lot_ of things had changed. Why _should_ she live more dangerously than she needed to?

 

“Are you honestly annoyed at me for keeping you safe?” Inuyasha said eventually. Something about this unsettled him. When Kagome got like this — when they _both_ got like this, it had a way of ruining his whole day.

 

Kagome’s reply was curt and obviously annoyed. “I guess I am.”

 

_Wow_. Inuyasha frowned. “I don’t understand you.”

 

“Well, you wouldn’t would you? You’re a dummy.” She yanked on his hair, and he turned around again, swatting her hand away.

 

“Ow! Fuck, what are you _even_ mad about? I’m not gonna apologize for protecting you!”

 

“I’m not asking you to apologize! I just wish — you believed in me. I’m a much better fighter than I was back then, but you hardly let me do have the things I used to. You don’t trust me to protect myself. You _don’t_  believe in me.”

 

Inuyasha shook his head incredulously. “You—" he clenched his fist angrily, “it’s not about that. Kagome, you’re a target—“

 

“Because I can see the shards,” she said flatly. “I know.”

 

“Not just that!” Inuyasha blurted. And quickly looked away. Stared at the corner. “You’re a target because of me. Because — our enemies, Naraku — they know how terrified I am of los— they know that they can leverage you against me. And — you said you wanted to stand by me, and I respect that.”  He looked at her then, her hands curled white-knuckled around the comb in her lap.

 

“You made your decision,” Inuyasha said. “But I made a decision too. And if you get to put yourself in danger because of me, then I get to keep you safe whatever way I like.”

 

He chanced a quick glance at her, and was mildly horrified to see that she had teared up. “Turn around!” She snapped, and he did so. Quieter, Kagome said: “Can you hand me the other comb?” He obeyed, supplying her the last comb. Their fingers brushed. And in another breath Kagome began to run his hair through the fine toothed comb. He winced at the snags, but for the most part it glided much smoother than it would have before.

 

Eventually Kagome stopped working, but she didn’t move away. Instead Inuyasha felt her lean closer, felt her breasts brush against his back and sensed her chin hover over his shoulder. He held his breath. Then Kagome wrapped an arm around him, and she slumped, tucking her head in the crook of his neck.

 

“Thank you for telling me that,” she said, and exhaled. “I’m sorry. I think I just missed you.”

 

She saw him nearly every day, but he thought he knew what she meant.

 

“Kagome…” he breathed, and leaned into her embrace. As close as they were, he wanted to see her, wanted to hold her.

 

But she moved away instead. Her hands lingered though, and then she was sliding them front to back, her fingers gliding over his shoulders. And then she checked his hair with her hands. Kagome weaved her fingers up to his scalp, methodically combing. Then, to his slow astonishment, she moved up even further, towards his ears.

 

“Kagome—“ he said again. Almost a warning.

 

But she was so gentle. She felt him between her thumb and finger as if to pinch. But she just glided her touch quickly — softly, until her fingers were at the base of his ears again. And then, on his left side, she curled her fingers, dug her nails against the skin of his scalp, and scratched.

 

His whole body shuddered, and he nearly fell backwards into her lap.

 

Fuck it.

 

“Kagome,” he said again, far more breathless than a moment ago but harsher. More determined. “Come here.”

 

Wordlessly, she pivoted on her heel, turning and settling by his hip so they sat by each other sidelong. Her legs stretching past him. And they could see each other’s faces.

 

Her eyes were very bright.

 

Inuyasha made a slight, small gesture, and mercifully, she came to him. Inuyasha gathered her in his arms, grabbing her close and closer. They interlocked arms around each other and Inuyasha stuck his nose in the crooked of her neck and inhaled. Fuck. Fuck. _Fuck_. He was never going to let her go. If she thought he was overprotective _before_ —

 

He felt her fingers curl in his hair, twisting hard enough to guarantee a tangle — and he would laugh at her if he weren’t feeling so happy. He pushed her away just far enough to move his face in front of hers, and before he could overthink it he dipped his head and kissed her.

 

For a moment that’s all it was, but then Kagome pressed her tongue against his lips, shocking him into a gasp, and then her tongue was in his mouth.

 

She tasted him thoroughly, and when she paused for breath he retaliated, exploring her mouth. He felt dizzy. This was happening, wasn’t it? He wasn’t dreaming.

 

And he wasn’t, because she broke apart, dipped her head, and sighed his name, and when she did her breath against the skin of his neck was hot and very, _very_ real.

 

Inuyasha was breathing hard. He didn’t know what to say. But he had to say _something_ soon right? If he waited too long he would mess everything up.

 

But Kagome was already pulling away, and before he could stop himself he grabbed at her possessively, keeping her against him.

 

She laughed. His head was spinning. “Inuyasha, I need to finish brushing your hair.”

 

“You’re dumb if you think I’m gonna let you go after that,” Inuyasha said, breathing a little haggardly. “Especially since I know you just want to tease me.” He met her smile with one of his own.

 

“I’m serious though,” she said in the least serious tone he had ever heard. “Your hair's messed up. Someone got it all ruffled.”

 

He kissed her again and she let out a short, pleased squeal that he swallowed, pressing ever closer to her.

 

But Kagome was grinning against his lips, and he could feel the vibrations of her laughter, and eventually he let his head slip too, and contented himself with her scent while she giggled. But he couldn’t resist experimentally pressing his lips to her neck, and then her jaw, and one chuckle aborted itself into a sigh.

 

“We should be alone more often,” he told her.

 

That made her erupt in a deep belly-laugh.

 

“Would you — fucking — _quit it!”_ He complained. “Why the fuck are you laughing so much?”

 

Which set her off again. Inuyasha watched her, half amused, half resigned, trying to ignore the dash of anxiety which rattled his brain. But Kagome was blushing prettily, and when she (eventually) calmed down she leaned forward, took his head in her hands, and kissed the corner of his mouth, her bottom lip just brushing over his. Inuyasha blinked at her, but before he could react she had pivoted herself back behind him. He felt the fine tooth comb going through his hair again.

 

“I wasn’t joking. I messed up your hair and I plan on doing a thorough job.”

 

“It already feels better,” he grumbled, which was true.

 

“Nuh uh. You still got tangles, and I’m getting rid of them while I still have you trapped here.”

 

Inuyahsa sighed. “You really think I’m trapped? You forget about these claws?” He held them up to remind her. Remind her of who — _what_ , exactly, she kissed.

 

Kagome didn’t need reminding. She shifted her position so she wouldn’t put so much pressure on her injured legs. “You say that,” she said, “But you haven’t tried to escape this whole time.”

 

She leaned over his shoulder, not missing the sharp intake of breath as she moved. “I think you like me this close,” Kagome whispered, and turned her head to press a kiss against his temple.


End file.
